Chapter Twenty-Nine

Fortunately, my father didn't find a “rabbit” that night; he was actually joking about creating a race of blue haired elves, so I think.

The funeral was scheduled for the next friday for Lauren and Mei. Both of them were attacked by the human army, when we were fighting at their castle. It was then, when Yamato learned that he had two more grandchildren. Lauren's friend, Nakilan, showed up with the twin boys, Yukimoto and Mimishi. The friday came slowly and I could tell emotionally Valndi wasn't going to hold up. Yamato seemed to get less and less stable as the days wore on, but somehow he could still manage a smile.

I stood beside Yamato at the stone tomb's entrance. It was after the funeral; Valndi had broken down and was now inside. Chris had shown up with Kiram and Sayla, but they were inside with everyone else. Standing beside Yamato was the only thing I could think to do. Valndi had plenty of people trying to comfort him, but Yamato only had me.

“You know,” he said, suddenly breaking the silence. I looked at him; he was staring at the ground. “It's strange. I sent them to Earth so they could be protected, and I only wanted them home so I could protect them. I failed; I failed miserably at my job. Maybe they would have been better off on Earth. I brought them home to kill them.”

“That's not true,” I said, shaking my head. “You had good intentions for bringing them back home. You didn't know this would happen.”

“And yet, you did,” he said, closing his eyes. “But you can't interfere with the flow of things, so you're as trapped as I am in this situation. Besides, I was the cause for their deaths. Those humans were looking for me, not them. I should have died, instead of them.”

“No, Yamato, it's not your time,” I looked at him. He was looking quietly at me. “No, you'll see several generations fall before you do. You'll even witness my death before yours is even on the horizon.”

“That's awful,” he said, returning his gaze to the ground. “What kind of fate is that? Why must I outlive everyone? It's not right. I wish I were the one that died. Everytime I see a fallen person because of me, I want that to be me. But no, I keep on living and enjoying life. Why?”

“Don't wish your life away,” I said, quietly. “You told me that once, remember? Why do you want to be dead? When you're dead, you can't help your loved ones left behind or do anything else to help the common good. You are still alive for a reason, Yamato. Everyone has a reason in the great scheme of things, no matter how insignificant it is. Those who are gone have completed their reason for living, that's why they're gone. I know it's hard; I've lost many loved ones in my lifetime. But, I still have Torin and Hyiame to live for, now. They're my reason for living and wanting to live. You have three beautiful grandchildren, a son, a brother, a son-in-law, a niece and a nephew in the world. Aren't they reason enough to live for? If not them, then the whole world is dependent on your leadership. Isn't that enough?”

“Yes, it's more than enough to keep living,” he agreed, smiling. “I need to be strong for my son and son-in-law. I know it's going to be tough on them, especially on my new grandchildren. I still have to learn their names.” I smiled, then nodded. He turned and started back to the castle. I took a final look at the tomb; it was so nicely craved. I wished Mahyia had as nice of a funeral as you two did, Mei and Lauren, I thought. With that, I turned and left the site behind me, going towards the castle and the setting sun.